Printed circuit connectors are conventionally soldered or otherwise affixed to electrical circuitry. When repair or replacement of a contact was required, for example due to damage thereto, it was not economical, if not feasible, to replace the damaged contact and, therefore, it was customary to dispose of the entire connector. Specifically, all the soldered or other terminal connections had to be disengaged because the complete connector assembly had to be removed from the printed circuit board or flex circuit. In addition, the connector sometimes would break, in part because relatively high forces were required to remove the contacts from the connector body.
Further problems arise in some styles of socket contacts which are circular in design. Such circular contacts are retained by a C-ring at the terminating end of the connector, which permits the contact to float and rotate within the connector body and, thus, to stress the soldered termination joint with the flex circuit or printed circuit board. The joints consequently became weakened and failed. In addition, because of the circular beam construction of the tines of the mating contact, engagement and separation forces are relatively high and such forces are increased because of mating misalignment between the socket contact and the pin contact.
Various other designs have been suggested as evidenced by those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,538,489; 3,569,900; 3,609,640; 3,697,925; 3,874,763; 3,963,302; and 3,980,385. These constructions present a primary difficulty in that they are rear release connectors where it is difficult, if not impossible, to remove a single connection from a printed wiring board or flexible printed wiring. In addition, full support of the contact in the connector body is not insured, inasmuch as the contacts are designed for rear removal, and the contacts may move through rotation or flotation within the connector body to create strains on the joint.
Other constructions, such as are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,663,931; 3,701,967; 3,853,389; and 4,174,877 present similar and/or other difficulties. As before, their retention within the connector body may result in flotation or slight rotation, thereby giving rise to strain at the joint. However, they avoid the problem of the above-noted rear release contacts in that they are capable of being removed from the front or mating face of the connector. Nevertheless, this advantage presents other disadvantages, for example, in their ability to receive a mating pin contact without generating high engagement and separation forces, especially due to mating misalignment. When the contacts are constructed from more than a single piece, their cost of construction rises, as requiring a number of separate forming operations, as well as several emplacement steps when the contacts are inserted into a connector body.